Some Secret Facts About Today's Radios to Make the Radiophile Raise His Brow in Consternation

Paul has apprised us of a DXer.CA post with some startling, disturbing facts about radios. Some highlights: Several "different" radio brands are made in the same plant; quality control programs run amok (no surprise but scary reading about it firsthand), there are 3 versions of the Sangean ATS-909 made in different locations with implications of variation in quality and performance. It's so hard to be a radiophile these days. 

On a related note, watch lovers have to be alert to the fact that the Seiko Black and Orange Monster have two versions, a superior one made in Japan, and a less desired one made in Singapore. Ah, the anxieties. 

Comments

[Radio Russ]

I think my ATS-909 is from Taiwan since there's no mention of China anywhere on it. I've had it at least 5 years and it's still holding up well.

As far as the Seiko Orange Monster, how does one tell country of origin? There's no mention of country of origin anywhere on mine.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Russ, I read somewhere that Amazon sells the Japan version. I need to find that info again to be sure. Regarding the ATS-909, how would you rank its AM and FM? Worth the $225 price tag?

[Radio Russ]

I got my Orange Monster from OverStock.com several years ago.

My ATS-909 has very good to excellent performance on AM and FM. Jeff, I would rank it right up there with the U3. A simple wire antenna for shortwave makes a world of difference over the whip antenna. I had no trouble using the SSB features although it's not the easiest to use compared to other models. I paid around $189 including S/H so I think it's worth it at that price. I'd have to look around at what else is in the $225 price bracket to compare performance and features before judging whether it's worth that much. It probably is because the ATS-909 is solidly built and was their top-of-the-line radio for many years.

[Tim]

My Sangean 909 is about five or six years old and it still works like a gem. Sad to say, nowadays six years is a long time for a product to last. But on the topic of quality control, several years ago I bought a Sangean 606 radio - a very small but high-quality AM/FM/SW radio. I liked it quite a bit. So, when I learned that their production had been permanently discontinued, I quickly tried to pick up a second one. I found one through Amazon. The radio arrived, but the quality of it was horrendous. The speaker tone was painfully tinny - to the point of distorting even at low volumes - and the reception was just as bad. It wasn't nothing like my other 606. I contacted the company, which profusely apologized to me. They said they were sending me another one "free of charge," and that they would first test out the radio to make certain it worked 100%. The second 606 arrived, and it was every bit as bad as the previous one.

I can understand an occasional dud, but two in a row? The same happened when I ordered the Sangean DT-400W - two duds in a row.

I have a high opinion of Sangean radios. They're definitely my favorite, so that I have them all over the house. But there certainly may be something to this quality control problem.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Russ, I'll post both your and Tim's remarks about the 909, very tempting. Thanks.

Tim, for some reason the Sangean WR-2 seems to have a consistently high build quality. But that 606 case would drive me crazy. Thanks.

[Tim]

What's wrong with the 606 case, Jeff? You mean, cheap? Mine is a sharp silver with blue lettering and the case is plastic, but it doesn't strike me as cheap. And for a radio so small, the sound and reception are excellent.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

I meant that you got two bad ones in a row.

[tomwc]

Seiko has done that with many watches, my old Skx-009 was a malaysian assembled watch, while the more coveted version of the same watch was made in japan, indicated with a J in the serial number

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Thanks, Tom. I don't see a J in mine. Oh well.

Russ, so AM on the 909 is like the U3's? Wow. Now I'm tempted. Can I program presets so that AM and FM don't have to be toggled through separate bands?

[Paul]

Watches, directly from Japan:

http://www.seiyajapan.com/

One man shop, very reputable.

[Blake]

Companies are always doing cost cuttings. The 606 may not be the same radio it was simply due to cost cutting. I wonder if the latest version of the Grundig YB400 (4000?) is as good as the original version. I have heard that the speaker sound on the new one is not very good. My old YB400 has very good sound quality. Perhaps the new one has a cheaper speaker than the older model.

[jeffrey McMahon]

Blake, I've had both and speaker sounds same; however, I don't know about overall quality. I hope they're the same. I currently own the G4000.

[Blake]

Jeffrey, That is good to know that the G4000 is the same at least in speaker quality. It is a SW Radio I would like to recommended because it is a good starter radio that will play loud and clean. Even with other new technologies out there I believe the current price of the G4000 makes it a high value receiver.

I like the deal on the Universal Radio Site for the G4000A. I have a Eton FR350 which I got with my Sat 750 at Universal Radio and I like it quite a bit. The Dynamo lasts for about 30 mintes of radio play with about 2 min of cranking. You can recharge its dynamo with the AC adapter and it lasts for many hours. I have not felt the need to even put batteries in it. The speaker sounds surprisingly good and plays plenty loud especially considering its size. I like the analog tuning on due to the low noise floor. Sensitivity is at least average and does a nice job with local stations and powerful shortwave signals. Because it plays loud and is water resistant I use it in the bathroom. I set it on top of the shower doors where it gets wet but not direcly from the shower. Does not seem to bother it. I like its big tunning and volume knob. Nice AM sound with my local AM stations. Plus it is an emergency radio that can be powered with a crank, has LED flashlight, very loud siren, becon flash, and cell phone charger. I got the black color which has the rubberized finish like the Grundig G6.

[GregS]

Tim, it's too bad about your bad experiences with your Sangean DT-400s. I own one (in fact I was listening to it when I read your comments) and mine is a really good performer, especially as an ultralight AM DX radio.

[GregS]

There's another aspect to this too: sometimes manufacturers make changes to the design of a radio's electronics that can impact its performance without making this public. For example, it is widely believed that the Eton E-100 underwent a change from single to dual conversion late in its product lifecycle. The single conversion units were considered much better for ultralight DXing and among ultralight DXers there was a lot of discussion about how to tell if a unit was single or double conversion from its serial number. But as far as I know, Eton never confirmed any of this.